Doctor Who and the Zygon Gambit
by khan4er
Summary: Set just before the events of A Good Man Goes to War, the Doctor and Rory discover a group of old enemies. An 11/11 challenge!
1. Chapter 1

First of all, I do not own any of these characters. All Doctor Who characters are licensed by the BBC and Doctor Who is distributed by the BBC and BBC Worldwide.

Also, I would like to thank all of the people in the Hub who helped me out on this challenge. Thanks to Dorian, Rebecca, Stephanie, Stefani, Lady S., Dan, Owen and all the others whose shenanigans brighten the day.

Finally, a sort of Timeline, The Doctor and Rory (in his Roman costume) are from the beginning of A Good Man Goes to War, Captain Jack is before any of the Torchwood series, and the Zygons are between War and Terror.

Chapter 1

It was a foggy night out on the Moor. Lord Brightly has gone out to have his hounds get their usual exercise before laying down in his and his wife's bedroom. It had not been very late and Lord Brightly had been as usual admiring the loch that his castle was overlooking. He was wondering how heavy the mist was, when he heard one of the hounds yelping. He was unnerved because the yelp was more out of fear than of a hunt. He had trained his hounds to be stronger, even at the sight of a bull elephant, yet here they were yelping in fear. Suddenly, four flashes of fur raced by him, yelping as much as they could while running back to the castle. Lord Brightly tried to turn and wondered what in heaven's name was going when a large shadow loomed from out of the darkness towards him. The shadow swallowed his scream.

"Demon's Run! That's what the Cybermen said!" said Rory in a very hostile tone. The Doctor tried to placate him, but was having no avail. "Never heard of it, but, it what the Cybermen said is true, we are walking into the biggest war zone in history." Rory was having none of it today "My wife is there. We need to get her and my child back." The Doctor turned to Rory and said, in a straight tone, "We will get Amy and your child out of there, I promise, but charging in there now would be very foolish. My plan will work. I will personally see to it. Right now, we have landed. Let's see. England, London . Time to see an old friend." The Doctor and Rory came out of the TARDIS and was immediately greeted by a roaring fireplace and what looked to be a nice set of chairs with a small table, in other words, a sitting room. The Doctor took a hard look at the walls and doors and said "It's okay, Jenny, It's me, the Doctor, and my friend needs your help." Instantaneously, a young maid with a drawn sword came out of what looked to be another wall. Rory instinctively reached for his sword, but was stayed by the Doctor, who mouthed the word "Don't" and his hand left the sword. "What is your business, Doctor, and if you are him, you'll know the code. The Doctor straightened his bow tie while keeping his eyes on Jenny and said "The code is Bushido." Jenny then dropped her fighting stance and placed the sword back on the wall. "My mistress is out, as you well know." After a few cups of tea, the Doctor explained the situation to Jenny, who promised to relay the situation to her mistress once she returned, but she had already gotten word that there was trouble on a moor in Scotland. "Really, and this moor is near the Loch of Ness?" "Yes, Doctor, it seems that there are more dead things appearing in that area every day. Scotland Yard is basically puzzled by the dead creatures, not just land-based creatures, but sea-based creatures as well." That piqued the Doctor's interest as well. "Really, sea-based creatures?" "Doctor, what about…"Rory tried to say, but he was shushed by the Doctor, who had a thought going through his mind. A particularly, nasty instance came to mind of himself in another form fighting a sea creature. Finally, he stood up "Rory, get your sword ready. We are on a trip to Scotland."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After a few moments with buying tickets and flashing the Psychic Paper around, the Doctor and Rory were on the train to Edinburough. The Doctor once again told Rory his plan "Remember, we help Madame Vastra by solving this case, then we go to Demon's Run." "But, Doctor…" "Rory, remember that we do have a TARDIS. We'll have this mystery solved and then get your wife before the tea even gets cold." Rory could see that nothing could sway the Doctor, and yet there was a glint in his eye. It was the same glint he saw when the Doctor first saw the Flesh. Something about this case caused an intent in him. He went ahead and asked "I fought a sea creature that was bigger than an aircraft carrier in a previous incarnation. Now, what was it. Salamander…no, no…Skagra…No!…Saracen, that was it, the Saracen, a biomechanical creature used by the Zygons to make up the myth of the Loch Ness Monster." "Well, if it is the Saracen, you'll need something better than the Sonic Screwdriver to defeat it." Rory said, his resolve not wavering. "Not always, Rory, but I thought I destroyed the Zygons earlier, in yet another incarnation." The Doctor was now deep in thought. "Unless…, yes that is it, hibernation!" The Doctor looked at himself and basically snorted in disgust. "Rory, we are going to be dealing with Zygons. They are one of the ruthless races in the galaxy. They can change form and look like other people." "From now on, we keep our guard up." Rory, for once in his life, did not back down and try to hide. He couldn't. He has to fight for himself, his wife, and their child, no matter what the odds.

The train reached its' destination and the Doctor and Rory stepped out they were met by the cold Scottish weather. Rory felt a little twinge as this reminded him that this was where his wife came from. Instantly, he steeled his resolve. The Doctor, for his part, showed no effect from the weather. Rory wondered how in the world, and then remembered that he was an alien, a Time Lord. It seemed highly unusual that he was alien when he acted so human at times. Some of that was just for show, yet other times, he seemed to want to go blundering into trouble. How he lived so long, even Rory did not know, but Another flash of the Psychic Paper and he found himself riding on a horse. It was the first time he had ridden a horse since… he remembered, coming in on a horse, not as Rory the Human, but Rory, the Auton Duplicate, surrounded by Autons posing as Romans and Roman legionnaires. Rory's mind dwelt on this until the Doctor said "We are here." Rory got off of the saddle and looked at the Loch. It was massive, you could almost fit dozens of monsters in there. The voice of the Doctor broke through his reverie "Remember, we are dealing with a Zygon force. We don't know the plan or where they are taking the humans they duplicate. However, I think we need to find the nearest castle."

Castle Brightly was far from cheerful, Rory decided, but a group of locals had said the local lord of the castle was a cheerful man. So, off The Doctor went and Rory followed. As it turned out, the castle was small for being a castle, but had a quaintness to it. The Doctor rang the bell and a butler answered the door. "Hello, we are from the Castle Evaluation Service. We need to talk to your Lord about his Castle Evaluation." and flashed the Psychic Paper once more. "Even that was lame, Doctor" thought Rory, but they did manage to get in the castle. The butler stated that Lord and Lady Brightly would be down shortly. The Doctor never demanded anything to eat or drink and Rory refused the offer. After a while, Lord and Lady Brightly came down the ornate steps, the picture of a perfect Scottish couple. They answered the Doctor's questions until he was satisfied and he and Rory left. "Something about that couple bothered me" Rory said. "Yes, me, too." stated the Doctor "I think it is best we go to the Loch." Had the Doctor turned around, he would have seen in the window, two pairs of eyes glowing a bright red.

The Doctor and Rory had examined several parts of the Loch. "It doesn't make any sense, Doctor." Rory admitted, "Here the grass is flat, yet over here the grass is untouched." Remember, the Loch Ness Monster is a brontosaurus or a plesiosaur or some other long-necked dinosaur. It doesn't need to crawl up on land." The Doctor said and resumed his search. "Doctor, I believe you now, but it is right behind you." Instantly, the Doctor rolled away from the area where he was, just as something very heavy crashed down on the area where he was searching. The Doctor turned to look and found himself face-to-face with the Saracen. It lifted its' head and gave a mighty roar. The Doctor tried to break into a run, but tripped over a branch. Rory ran to defend the Doctor, drawing his sword. He managed to get some good gashes on the creature's face, but Rory was knocked completely out by a swipe of the creature's flipper. The Saracen then bore down on the hapless Doctor.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Saracen bore down on the hapless Doctor, while the Doctor tried a myriad of frequencies. The monster was opening its' jaw to swallow the Doctor whole, when a burst of laser fire came from out of the woods. A figure suddenly got closer and snapped off two bolts. The Saracen, irked, crashed his head against the ground close to where the figure stood, stunning him as well. However, the Doctor, having got back up found the right frequency. He put his sonic screwdriver in the air as it gave a very high pitched whine. Suddenly, the Saracen howled in pain. It thrashed and headed back to the Loch. The doctor never gave it any chase, preferring to tend to Rory. He was stunned, but would be all right. As he was looking at Rory, the figure who had helped him came close to him. "Thank you very mud.." the Doctor said as he turned. He saw the figure's features in the moonlight and recognized who he was. "Captain Jack Harkness!" "Yes, and you are…" "Don't you remember? It's me. The Doctor." "Doctor, Doctor Who?" Before the Doctor could answer, Rory gave a moan and started to stir "Ohh! What hit me?" The Doctor turned back to Rory and gave a brief account of what happened and how he was saved by Jack. "So, now what, Doctor?" Jack was surprised. Perhaps this person in the mud-covered tweed suit was the Doctor. He had been here for under an hour when he heard the sound of a sonic being used. "So, I believe the Saracen was being controlled from a nearby castle. It think it is time we went back to Castle Brightly." "Hold on, Doc. what is going on here? Why do you look like that? Last time, I saw you, you were setting up a doomsday device for the Daleks and you wore a leather jacket? And, what's with the Roman here?" The doctor briefly explained regeneration to Jack and stated that he had regenerated twice since his last encounter with Jack. He also asked Jack how he got here. "I don't know. The one minute, I am fighting Daleks. Then. I get blasted by them, then this light comes all over on me, then I am on the Game Station alive and no Daleks to be seen. I wanted to get out of that place, so I found a Vortex manipulator. It must have been left by the people trying to send people to the Daleks. I used it and here I am. Where are we and, if you are the Doctor, where's the TARDIS?" the Doctor explained what was going on and what he believed was happening around Loch Ness. He did not mention the plight of Amy or Demon's Run. These, in his mind, were battles that were meant to be fought by him and a select group of allies. Captain Jack had his own role to fulfill in the Grand Web of Time and it was sacrosanct that he stay. He had to explain that to Rory as well..

When they reached the castle, it looked like a party had been just celebrated. The Doctor explained his plan to Rory and Jack again. "Remember try to find an opening, a back door, an open window, an pet opening. We have to search the castle secretly." However, it seemed that the castle, apart from windows that had bars in front of them, was unbreachable. The Doctor, Rory, and Jack, once again tried to find another way in, but was as unsuccessful as they were the first time. "They made this castle well." Jack said. "Of course, they did. They built this castle in the seventeenth century. Nothing in, nothing out." The Doctor said in frustration. We could always try the roof." The Doctor stood and looked at the roofline of the castle "Or we could try and go towards where that hand is beckoning toward us.." Rory said. Sure enough, the Doctor and Jack turned to see a hand beckoning them to follow. They managed to cross the grounds unseen and go into a small servant's door. "Thank you, um." "Rodgers, sir." "Yes, Rodgers, thank you. Why did you let us in?" queried the Doctor. Rodgers shifted nervously and stated "I have served the Brightly family for over 50 years, sir. I fear they are possessed. Their manners and mood have changed. They tell me nothing is wrong, but I believe something is wrong., sir." Jack frowned and said "What do you think, Doc?" "First of all, it is Doctor, not Doc. Second of all, we search this castle top to bottom, with out disturbing the owners." The Doctor answered in a manner that brook no dispute. As they were in the basement, they found a bunch of hollow tubes. "Zygon Hibernation Pods. I should have guessed." The Doctor said in a serious tone. Rory pointed out that there were more than two. "I know. When I fought the Zygons before, I destroyed one set and put paid to an invasion that would have wiped out the whole of Britain. The Zygons are clever. They must be getting ready to reproduce and create another invasion force using these tubes and the Saracen to give them life." "You are clever, Doctor, too clever, I am afraid." A new voice said in malice. All three turned to see Lord Brightly in the doorway. He was then followed by Lady Brightly. "However, we cannot let you escape and ruin our plans. We will kill your friends and then, Doctor, you will be food for our new race." Suddenly, The Lord and Lady both turned into Zygons and started walking ominously towards the three travelers.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The two Zygons marched menacingly towards the Doctor, Rory, and Jack. Rory already had his sword out and was ready to cut into them, but his hand was stayed by the Doctor, who pointed the sonic screwdriver a little ways off to the left and fired. The Zygons laughed and said "You missed, Doctor!" The Doctor smiled and said "Who said I was aiming at you?" All of a sudden, the chandelier above the pair crashed onto them, stunning them. "Everyone, RUN!' said the Doctor and all did not need to be told twice. The Doctor managed to close the door and put a chair under the knob. It will slow them down, but not stop them, explained the Doctor. "Rodgers, those hibernation pods, they need power. Where are they getting that?" Rodgers thought for a moment, then came up with the revelation. "The generator room, sir!" Rodgers said with a certain tone. "Jack, Rory, I need you to buy time. We need to wear out those Zygons. You need to tire then out. Use anything you can. Rodgers, you need to show me where this generator is." "What are you going to do, Doctor?" Rory asked. "Sour the milk, of course." The Doctor replied with a grin. A crash came from far side of the hall. The Doctor was right in saying the Zygons would not be stopped so easily.

Jack and Rory led the Zygons on a merry chase, with Jack telling Rory about how he met the Doctor and how he definitely recognized his Doctor in this new form of his. Rory, using a barrel to knock down both Zygons as they climbed the central staircase, told Jack as to how he met the Doctor through his wife, Amy. She had been traveling with the Doctor longer than he, but he was well accepted once he was in the TARDIS. The two companions then compared notes on the TARDIS and Jack heard how the TARDIS had changed. Eventually, the Zygons were getting slower and slower. The Doctor's plan was working. Then, the Zygons decided that they would have to recharge and then go after the Doctor and his human companions. They went back to the basement with Rory and Jack following at a slow pace. The two Zygons stepped into their chambers and the power began to hum as before, but then the power change to a different hum and the Zygons screeched in agony. The power was sucking on them. Before Jack and Rory knew it, there was a blinding flash and the two Zygons were gone and their cabinets were black as night. Suddenly, Rory heard a thumping noise from one of the dressers. He opened it and out popped the true Lord and Lady Brightly, looking a bit worse for wear, but alive and in good health.

The Doctor was still talking to Lord Brightly and Jack when Rory came in with Lady Brightly, who had taken a bath and was back to her natural beautiful self. "Doctor, what about those other Zygons?" asked Jack. "Well, I wouldn't worry about them for another 88 years." the Doctor explained. "By that time, I'll have thought of something. As for your problem, Jack, I do have a solution. I have worked on one of those hibernation pods and I believe I can help you there, Jack." "Before you go, Doctor, will I ever see you again?" Jack asked as a plaintive question. The Doctor bit his lip and then smiled "Jack, you will see me more than you realize." The Doctor led Jack into the basement. There was a hum of power, then the hum of power got softer as the Doctor returned, alone.

The Doctor and Rory were on the train when Rory took one last look at Scotland. It was Amy's ancestral home and he desperately wanted her back. "I don't understand. Why couldn't we take Jack with us to Demon's Run?" "Rory, I know how badly you want Amy. I do too, but Jack needs to stay where he needs to because he is needed to fill that portion of time." Rory did not like this, but he accepted the Doctor's answer. "Doctor, will Jack be alright?" "Oh, I would say so, There might be a bit of amnesia because of the switch from gas to electric, but I have set the timer to late 1939. By that time, Jack will be ready to fight in the War and get his name." Rory wondered what the Doctor meant, but he refused to answer that question. He told Rory it was best not to question what has already happened. The Doctor and Rory got back to Madame Vastra's house and the sitting room., just in time to hear a cab outside. The Doctor kept the doors to the Tardis cracked. He heard Jenny and Madame Vastra talking about her latest success. Suddenly, Jenny piped up that there was the matter of the gentlemen in the sitting room. Vastra entered the sitting room and exclaimed "It means tonight that an old debt is to be paid." The Doctor grinned and said to Rory "Now, we begin to go to Demon's Run!"


End file.
